Tuesday, May 1, 2012

The shrimps brought by Mamsi and Kuya as pasalubong
for my graduation were cooked as Sinigang na Hipon as detailed in my earlier posts,
while the rest were simply salted and steamed with its own juices. The rest of
the gang (my siblings!) would want to bring the shrimps to Bohol to be eaten along the way as
our baon and halabos is the best, the quickest and the simplest way to prepare
the shrimps.

As requested, and I don’t know why and how it
evolved, the shrimps should be steamed with “Sprite” or “7-Up” a clear
lemon-lime flavored carbonated drink until all the liquid is evaporated. This
beverage has been used in some traditional cooking, like basting suckling pigs
for lechon, or roasting chicken. I have good childhood memories of town fiestas
or during holiday season where my papsi and uncles will prepare pig for lechon
(spit-roast pig), from time to time they will brush or baste the pig with this
carbonated drink. This time we will use this in steaming our shrimps, as the
gang requested.

Here’s how to prepare Halabos:

1 kilo shrimp, whiskers removed

5 cloves garlic, minced or crushed

½ tbsp salt

a little Canola oil for sautéing (butter will do and
it will give a good flavor)

½ cup Sprite

2 cloves of minced garlic and ¼ cup local vinegar for
dip (sawsawan)

1. Clean shrimp by removing all the whiskers, drain
and set aside.

2. In a separate pan, sauté minced garlic in Canola
oil.

3. Add shrimp, salt and the sprite and cover. Simmer
for 3-5 minutes until the color turns to bright orange and the liquid has
evaporated. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp, as it will make the meat
rubbery. Serve immediately with vinegar and crushed garlic.

Steaming the shrimps with Sprite lends it a mild
sweetness, which most of us Pinoys love about halabos, it’s as if the shrimps
are freshly caught and cooked immediately where the flavors are on its fullest.

Tip: make sure to use as little liquid as possible so
it will be cooked with its own juices, and the flavor will come out naturally.
Too much liquid would mean more time cooking to evaporate it, and most of the
flavors will be lost in the liquid.

As always, we can capture the goodness of any
seafoods prepared in a simplest and quickest way possible.

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Happenings | Calendar of Events

NATURAL & ORGANIC FOOD MARKET ENCOUNTER

July 4, 2012 3:00pm to 5:00pmCebu City Marriott Hotel

{This free event is brought to us by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce & Industry, in partnership with Germany’s AFOS Foundation & GFH, the Association of Negros Producers and the Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce & Industry.